The present invention relates to an electrical lead having connecting terminals at each end of the lead. An electrical lead in accordance with the invention is of particular advantage in securely interconnecting a membrane keyboard to the keyboard scanning circuits of a financial terminal.
In a financial terminal, consideration must be given to the detection and prevention of attempted access to confidential information transmitted over the electrical lead between a membrane keyboard and a physically secure area in which keyboard scanning electronic circuits are located. Such lead is normally regarded as one of the weakest points for an attack and is difficult to protect. An attack on such lead would normally be made by the attachment of taps to conductors of the lead or by passively monitoring the lead by the use of current probes in order to gain information such as personal identification numbers (PINs).